Is Benitez's job on the line? Should Perez resign? How good are Neymar and Suarez? All the talking points from Barça's win over Madrid are right here
NEYMAR-SUAREZ
Barcelona’s goalscoring duo were once again the difference. Luis Suarez (2) and Neymar (1) demonstrated that they are in an exceptional moment of form. The Brazilian (with 12 goals) leads the Pichichi in La Liga, but he is closely followed by the Uruguayan (who has 11). They’ve combined to excellent effect to make up for the absence of Lionel Messi.
BBC
Madrid’s trident was a shipwreck. Cristiano Ronaldo, Gareth Bale and Karim Benzema wandered around the pitch and had very little significance on the game. Cristiano, despite not scoring, was the best of the three. But he ended up being jeered by his own fans. It looks like the Portuguese forward’s days Madrid are numbered — as are Benzema’s.
SERGI ROBERTO
The growth of Sergi Roberto has been spectacular. Since earning Luis Enrique’s confidence, first as a right-back, he has become an indispensable part of the team. He started at the Bernabeu despite predictions that he would’t. He shone, too, and produced a great pass for Suarez’s first goal.
CLAUDIO BRAVO
Masterful. Barça would still have won without Claudio Bravo’s interventions, but he made several top quality saves, especially in the second half which prevented Madrid getting back into the game. He is, without doubt, Barça’s best goalkeeper at the moment - there’s no discussion to be had about that.
RAFA BENITEZ
Outpaced. Sunk. The Real Madrid manager was humiliated in all senses. If his job was on the line before the Clasico, the hammering suffered against Barça has him hanging by a threat. The white handkerchiefs and the chants of ‘Jose Mourinho, Jose Mourinho’ will be following him around for the next few weeks. He’s not going to have much peace.
LUIS ENRIQUE
The Asturian coach got things right with his line-up. The best possible side without Messi on the pitch. The 4-4-2 allowed his side a numerical advantage in the middle of the pitch and Barcelona totally dominated the game. Just like Guardiola, Lucho now has a result for the history books.
LIONEL MESSI
Curiously, he had a secondary role in the Clasico. He came on in the second half when the game was already decided (0-3). Luis Enrique preferred not to risk him and left him on the bench after his knee ligament injury. Good decision. The Argentine crack has a lot games ahead of him. It’s excellent news for Barça that they didn’t need him.
FLORENTINO PEREZ
Destroyed. Experience first hand the humiliation of his side next to the Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy. The Bernabeu even asked for their president to resign. He won’t resign, of course, but his umpteenth project once again crashed against Barça’s superiority.
ANDRES INIESTA
As captain, he was the leader in the middle. The Manchego scored the third goal with a wicked shot from just inside the area. He left the pitch to an ovation from the Madrid fans — just like Ronaldinho 10 years ago. Luis Enrique defined him well at the end of the game: “He is a part of world heritage.”
GERARD PIQUE
He was definitely turned on. Very turned on. Despite one early error, he grew as the game went on. In fact, by the end he was even serving as another forward. He wanted to score the fifth goal. He tried to do so in every way possible, but the goal didn’t arrive. However, he was still just as happy at the Bernabeu to win by four.
Culled from Sports.
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